Is KL Rahul the next Indian captain? BCCI chief selector has THIS to say

Chief selector Chetan Sharma explains the future role of captain KL Rahul for the Indian national team.

KL Rahul. (Source: Twitter)

India's national cricket team chief selector Chetan Sharma praised in-form batter KL Rahul and explained how the team of selectors look at him as a three-format player. Rahul has been in excellent form in all three formats and will captain the team whenever they are missing Rohit Sharma.

"We are looking at KL Rahul as a three-format player, and he has got good experience of captaincy. He has proved his leadership qualities. That is what all selectors think. When Rohit is not fit, we thought KL is the best one to handle the side. We have good confidence in him, and we are grooming him." said Chetan Sharma.

#TeamIndia vice-captain @klrahul11 is adjudged Man of the Match for his show with the bat.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/ElbixnZcdU — BCCI (@BCCI) December 30, 2021

Sharma also heaped praise on in-form opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been selected for the upcoming ODIs against South Africa, saying that the Maharashtra batter would "do wonders" for the national team.

The Indian team is scheduled to play three one-day internationals against South Africa on January 19, 21 and 23 at Paarl and Cape Town respectively. The team for the same was picked on Friday by the Sharma-led selection panel.

Ruturaj Gaikwad gets his maiden ODI call up from the Indian team #WhistlePodu | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/BnSNdYY4UE — CSK Fans Army™ (@CSKFansArmy) December 31, 2021

"Look, absolutely (he has) got the opportunity at the right time. He was in the T20 team and also now he is in the ODI team, wherever his place can be made, selectors are thinking he will go and do wonders for the country," Sharma said at the team selection press conference.

The 24-year-old Ruturaj, who hails from Pune, was the leading scorer in the 2021 Indian Premier League after he amassed a staggering 635 runs and played a key role in Chennai Super Kings winning the title.

According to Sharma, Ruturaj was rewarded for his stellar performance. "We have selected him (Ruturaj). Now it is up to the (team) management to see when he can play in the XI, when he is required and how to go about the combination, these things we will coordinate. But, at present, he (Ruturaj) was in the T20 side also against New Zealand and he is in ODI now. He is doing well and he is rewarded for that," added Sharma, himself a former India pacer.

After his IPL high, the opener continued his dazzling form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too and was the leading scorer there, aggregating 603 runs from five matches with 168 as his highest score.

Ruturaj Gaikwad made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka last July at Colombo.

(With PTI inputs)